Shadow Of The Moon
by RoseWingz
Summary: In his childhood, Gaara meets a young girl who shows him love and friendship. After mysteriously disappearing for several years, she meets him again in the Konoha village. ...
1. Chapter 1

**Shadow of the Moon**

**Chapter 1: How it all started**

Gaara was sitting alone on the swings outside the sand village school, watching some of the kids in his class play with a bouncy ball. His red hair was ruffled and slightly spiky. Gaara was young, about six. He sat there, watching with his pale green eyes, and clutching his only friend, a teddy bear.

Among the kids playing, was a girl named Kira. Kira had pretty eyes that were the color of the sea, and brown hair that shone coppery gold when the sun hit it just right. (Like the picture below only with blue eyes) She was a little older than Gaara, about two years or so, but not by too much. She was in Temari's (Gaara's older sister) and Kankuro's (Gaara's older brother) class, but most times she's come to hang with kids younger than she was. It didn't make much of a difference anyways. Kira was small for her age, and got along just fine with Gaara's class. The only thing that could separate her from the other kids was her attitude. Kira knew how to act really mature if she wanted to prove her point.

Every so often she'd glance back at Gaara, a little concerned. She called over to him, "Gaara-san, do you want to play with us?"

Gaara's small face lit up, and he stood, about to walk over to her. The other kids whispered in shock.

One of them hissed to Kira, "No! Don't let the freak play! He'll ruin it!" another one said, "He's too weird!"

Kira shot a look at Gaara, who, after hearing the kid's rejections, sat down again. They continued to pass the ball, but Kira stood still. "You guys really shouldn't be so mean to him-"

"Oh man!"

She looked up and saw that one of the kids had kicked the ball so high, it had gotten stuck on a ledge of the sand wall that they were playing next to.

"Nice." Snorted Kira.

"What are we gonna do?" one of the kids wailed, ignoring Kira.

"None of us can do the wall-climbing technique yet…"

Kira was about to suggest something, when suddenly she saw two small piles of sand slither up the wall, and around the ball. The sand floated and carried the ball back down. Kira knew there was only one person who had the ability to do that…

She looked over her shoulder. Gaara had come forth, and caught the ball as the floating sand eased it into his hands.

Kira wasn't the least bit phased by what Gaara had done, but he other kids gasped. "Y… You're…" Gaara held out the ball innocently.

"I …It's Gaara!" one of the kids, a girl named Katari, was trembling in fear "Gaara of the sand…"

"RUN!!!"

All of them, except for Kira, screamed and ran away from Gaara.

"Wait!" Gaara called, looking hurt. "Don't go away!"

Sand came up around little Gaara. It swirled and twisted, and reached out to the running children. It grabbed at them.

"Waaah!"

"Help!"

Kira looked around anxiously. She understood how Gaara must have felt, but this was getting out of hand.

_Oh… what should I do??? _She thought.

She started running towards Gaara. "Gaara-san, you must stop!" She put an arm around him. "Please!" she sobbed.

But the sand sped. It was about to cover another kid when-

"No!"

Someone jumped in front of the kid. The sand hit the guy hard, but he had put his arms up as a shield. All of the sand immediately retracted. Now that it had cleared, Kira could see who the hero was.

"Lord Gaara, Please calm yourself!!" It was Gaara's uncle, Yashamaru.

Sighing in relief, Kira let go of Gaara. The three of them stood there, panting.

A few of the kids were unconscious, and the other was trembling behind Yashamaru.

Gaara stared up at Kira for a moment, then turned his gaze to his uncle. Yashamaru gave him a long look of sympathy, enough to make Gaara hang his head in shame.

***

The next morning, Kira was out on the street, running a shopping arrond for her dad. She was buying things like food and such, when Gaara walked by looking sad.

She called out to him, "Gaara!" but he seemed to be lost in thought and couldn't hear her. He also looked like he wasn't watching were he was going, because he almost bumped into some teenager that was walking the other way.

"Watch it!" the guy yelled rudely at him.

Gaara looked up, surprised. "Oh, sorry…"

"Yeah yeah, say you're sorry to my little brother whom _you_ almost killed yesterday!" The guy spat.

Even from were she was standing; Kira could see that Gaara was trembling. "I…"

The boy slapped Gaara, then punched him in the gut.

"Oww…"

Kira had seen enough; she ran up and stood defensively in front of Gaara. She was tired of just watching people be so mean to the poor thing. "Stop!" she yelled.

The guy stepped back in surprise, and then quickly recovered. "What are you doing? Get out of my way, punk!"

Kira shook her head. She was scared, but determined. "I'm sorry, but I can't just stand there and watch you push this poor boy around!" after shouting this, she then gulped. That may not have been the best choice of words, but she had to do _something_!

The guy's eyes turned steely "'Poor boy?!?!' Do you know who this dumb kid _is_? It's Gaara of the sand! The monster! The freak! Lord Kazekage's son!"

Kira narrowed her eyes. "What? I know he's different, but he can't help it! He just needs some love…"

_Love?_ Gaara thought. He looked up at the girl who was defending him. _Yashamaru said something about love…_ Gaara remembered what his uncle had said earlier: _"Love is… the feeling that makes you want to strive for and protect those who are precious to you." _Gaara stared. _But why is _she_ protecting me…?_

"Love!" the teenager sneered. "This creature does not deserve love!"

Gaara bent his head. His hands balled into fists. _Why?_

"He is a monster…"

Sand started to slither up from the ground but Kira didn't notice. She pointed a finger at the guy. "You know as well as I, that monster was purposely put inside of him! And look at what it has done! Again, not his fault!"

The sand stopped.

The teenager held up a fist. "Don't make me…" But before he could finish, Kira had grabbed Gaara's hand and was pulling him away. "Come on… don't listen to him."

After they were a little ways from the street, she let go of Gaara's hand.

"Are you okay?" she asked, turning and patting his little head.

"I'm fine…" He answered shyly "but…"

"Hm? But what?"

He looked up at her, confused. "Why… why did you defend me like that?"

"Well…" Kira shrugged. "I guess I was just tired of people being mean to you. And… because I sort of understand the pain you must have to go through, too. I don't like seeing people suffer emotionally, and besides…" she looked at Gaara and half-smiled. "I think I kinda like you, Gaara."

This would another one of the times Kira could act so mature for her age. It was rare for small kids to stand up to teenagers, or even Gaara.

_She seems to be the only one who isn't afraid of me… let alone like me… _ Gaara realized.

Gaara shuffled his feet, all of a sudden nervous. "Well… I'm sorry… but I don't even know your name…"

Kira blinked in surprise. "Oh, you don't? My bad let me introduce myself…" She bowed. "My name is Kira Shitoya, at your service!" She stood up and gave a big solute. Gaara giggled at that. He could see that she was nice. One of the nicest people he had ever met. But that wasn't saying much; just about everyone Gaara had met had been completely scared and mean to him except for Yashamaru. He smiled.

He and Kira hung out for the rest of the day, and the day after that, and the day after that. The two of them turned out to be really good friends. Kira also became friends with Kankuro and Temari, whom she already knew but grew closer to. Kira would always stand up for Gaara, and he would return his thanks by acting the best he could around her.

The two finished the day by watching the sunset n the roof of Gaara's house while eating ice cream. Gaara had never felt so happy in his life. He couldn't help but turn to Kira, smiling, and say, "Thanks for everything, Kira. You're a really great friend."

Kira stopped slurping her ice cream to look at him. "You really think so?"

Gaara nodded sincerely. "Uh-huh. You're the nicest anyone has ever been to me. I like you."

Kira felt her face get hot, and she faced the sunset. "Thanks Gaara, that means a lot to me. You're a good friend too." She looked down and mumbled loud enough for him to hear. "I just wish they would see it, too."

Gaara knew he was talking about everybody. "Nobody ever takes the time to get to know me." He said. "They just take one look at me, then scream in fear. Most of the time they either run away, or hurt me."

They sat there in silence for a few moments, then Gara spoke up again. "Kira…"

"Yes?"

"Do you know about love?"

Kira cocked her head in wonder at the random question. "Yeah, of course I do. I brought it up with that guy that was hasslin' you, remember?"

"Oh yeah…"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well…" Gaara nervously licked his ice cream. He remembered back to earlier that day. "You said that I deserved love, and the way you protected me…"

Kira blinked. "Where are you going with this?"

"Um…" Gaara looked down, embarrassed. "S-sorry, it's just…" He looked up at Kira who was watching him thoughtfully.

"Yes?"

Gaara shook himself. "Just forget it…"

"No no, it's ok." Kira put a hand on Gaara's shoulder. "Go on."

He decided to give in. "I've never met someone like you before. You're… different."

Kira looked away for a second. "Different is right…"

"No, no, I didn't mean that," Gaara insisted, "I meant that… well you're the nicest person I've ever met."

Her gaze softened. "Thank you, Gaara." She gave him a friendly hug. "You're my best friend ever!"

Gaara started to feel his face grow hot. He hadn't predicted that kind of response, but he liked it all the same. So he awkwardly hugged her back.

"You too."

***

Later that night, Gaara was running happily up the streets of the village, a bag of medicine in his arms.

He was on his way to Katari's house, she was the girl that was kicking the ball the other day and that Gaara had attacked with the sand.

Gaara had been so inspired by Yashamaru and Kira that he was trying to be extra nice and show the people of his village that even thought there might have been a monster inside of him; he was still a human with feelings.

_I can do it! I'll show them… I'll be really nice and then… then they'll see that I am not as much as a freak that they think I am._

He had arrived at the house, and he knocked at the door. It opened just a crack, and Katari glared out from inside her house. Gaara straightened up and gave her his best smile.

"Hi." He began, "I'm really sorry about yesterday… it must have hurt… I brought you some medicine, please take-"

"Go home you, freak!" Katari interrupted and slammed the door in little Gaara's face.

Gaara stood there, stunned. The medicine fell from his hands. Head drooping, he started to walk away.

He felt crushed, absolutely crushed. He wished Kira were there, to help him, to encourage him and make him feel better. But he knew that she would either be asleep, or not wanting to be disturbed. So he passed by her house without even glancing up.

Gaara continued walking, when suddenly a man bumped into him. The man held a beer bottle in one hand, and he smelled of sick and alcohol.

"Hey, watch where you're goin, br…" He looked down and saw that it was Gaara. His eyes opened wide. "Unh… you're…"

Gaara looked up. _That look… again…!_ His eyes opened wide and sand started to slither up and around him. _Why… _

Gaara's sand wrapped around the man.

_WHY…?!_

"H…Hey!"

The drunkard was buried in the chocking sand. His beer bottle slipped out of his hand and shattered with a loud smash as his screams echoed around the village.

Kira was running, hard and fast. She needed to find Gaara.

She hadn't been able to sleep that night. She had some sort of feeling, but she couldn't explain it. It was like she knew that something bad was happening, or was about to happen. And she was dead sure that in involved Gaara.

Not only had she felt something suspicious, but she heard it, too. She had heard a man screaming, and felt the air heavy with death.

Kira stopped abruptly, and gasped.

To her right, was a body. It looked as if it had been slammed against the sand wall, because blood was smeared all over the wall, and the sandy ground below. Men crouched around it, and started to lift it. Now Kira could get a better look. She could see it was a man; it must have been the same man that she had heard screaming. But that wasn't the thing that scared her. What terrified her the most, was that bloodstained sand was poring out of the dead-man's mouth, ears, eyes, and neck. Not only was this image completely horrifying, but it also revealed the killer.

Kira tried not to puke.

She went up to one of the men and asked, "Who… did this…?" she choked. She already knew, but she couldn't believe it.

One of the men looked up, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and rage. "That… Gaara…"

Wide-eyed, Kira stood, wondering what to do.

_Something's happened. I need to find Gaara!_

She set off running again, through the streets.

She looked up, and there, sitting on top of the roof of one of the sand houses, was Gaara.

He was crying, his face was buried in his hands.

_At least he's not hurt!_ Kira felt a flare a hope.

She called out to him, "Gaara! Gaara-kun!" but he didn't appear to hear her.

She kept running towards him and calling "Gaara!" Then suddenly a man, dressed in ninja clothes and a mask over his face, appeared a little ways behind Gaara.

Kira gasped and stopped running as the ninja drew out twenty or more kunai and prepared to throw them at the little crying boy.

Scared for Gaara, she tried to cry out and warn him. "Gaara-kun look ou-" but she was cut off by a sharp pain in her back.

"Augh," She feel to the ground, only to spring back up again and whip around to face her attacker.

"Wha… Lord Kazekage??"

Glaring down at her, was the Fourth Kazekage, Gaara's father.

"Stay out of this, little girl…" he snarled, and held up a handful of small weapons. Understanding reached Kira, and she put a hand on her back and felt one small shuriken star stuck in her back. It wasn't too deep, but deep enough to have felt it, bitterly.

Fear and confusion rushed through her. "L-Lord Kazekage, it's Gaara! There's someone trying to hurt him, you must help him!!"

The Kazekage glared down at her with eyes that burned into hers.

"No…" he rasped. "That terrible excuse for a child is better off dead."

Kira's eyes stretched wide and she gasped. "W…. What? That's an awful thing to say!!! Gaara's your son!"

He shook his head. "It was a mistake to implant that monster inside of him. I regret it deeply." He narrowed his eyes. "Little Kira, Gaara is too dangerous, it would be best for the village if he dies. Everyone would agree with me on that. I cannot control his power, so... I have ordered Yashamaru to kill him"

Tears welled in Kira's eyes. "No, you can't…."

Lord Kazekage rose on eyebrow. "You don't seriously care, do you?"

Kira knew in her heart that she did, but she didn't reply. Instead she turned and ran once again towards the building where she had last seen Gaara. But he was nowhere in sight. "NOO! Gaara-samaaa!"

Again Kira felt a pain in her back, but this time it was worse. She slumped to the sandy ground and couldn't get up.

"No…" she tried to move, but a wait pushed her back into the ground. She could feel the Kazekage's hot stinky breath on her neck, and heard his eerie whisper in her ear "The boy shall die, and you will too if you are not careful. You also hold a special power…"

Kira tried to cry out, but pain throbbed in her head and she was overtaken by darkness.

_Gaara…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Konoha **

**Sasuke's POV**

The three of us were trudging through the woods just outside Konaha.

"That was SOOO BORING!!" the spiky blond haired boy yowled that was walking right next to me. "How come we always get the crappy missions?"

"Geez Naruto," The other member of my group, Sakura, spoke up. She had pretty pink hair and green eyes. She made a face at the blonde haired dummy; who was Naruto. "Lighten up, you mostly mess us up anyway so nobody trusts us with high ranked missions!"

"Heh, Sakura's right," I spoke in a low, bored tone. I shook my raven colored hair and glared at Naruto with deep dark eyes. "You're such a loser, Naruto-san."

Naruto stomped the ground in frustration and glared at me.

"Would you shut it, Sasuke?"

"No."

Naruto made a face at me.

We were only Genin ninja, and were heading back to their village Hidden in the Leaves after a boring but successful mission. Just yesterday, we had returned from a difficult mission where we had unrepentantly met two rouge ninja and saved a small village.

Sakura looked around, annoyed. "Where the heck is Kakashi? He said he'd meet us on the edge of Konaha!"

"Haven't you noticed that Master Kakashi is _always_ late?" I grumbled in my usual low tone.

Sakura glanced at me with obvious affection. "Yeah…"

Why did she always have to stare at me like that? It was SO annoying.

"Well I'm sick of it!" Naruto put in loudly.

I opened his mouth to say something, but then froze. I sensed that something strange was near and I could have sworn to hear rapid footsteps. I paused to look around anxiously.

"What is it, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked sweetly, and looked at me with a little too much gushy concern.

Naruto scowled and kept walking.

"Someone's coming." I explained quietly, making my voice urgent.

"What if it's Kakashi?"

"No, I don't think so…" I sprang upward onto the nearest tree branch, and tensed myself in a protective defense position. Sakura looked up with wide eyes, and Naruto turned around just in time to see a shape coming towards us. It was a person, a ninja, but it defiantly wasn't Kakashi. It didn't seem to see or sense us, just kept coming closer like he or she was in a big hurry. When the ninja was only a few yards away, I leaped forward and tackled him to the ground. He was taken by surprise, but quickly recovered and kicked me off with such force that I was soon flying through the air. I landed swiftly on my feet but paused before doing anything further. The ninja then did a neat backwards flip up onto a tree branch and crouched.

The ninja spoke, "Stop this, I mean no harm!" it was a young girls voice.

I was surprised at hearing such a calm, soft voice, and apparently my peers were as well. Sakura and Naruto hurried to my side, into a formation incase they had the fight the stranger.

"How do we know that you are telling the truth? Are you from the leaf village?" Naruto asked gruffly.

" No, I am not from this village." She replied truthfully, "Actually, I come from very far away." She stepped out of the shadows of her tree branch and stood in a patch of sunlight that was flittering down through the trees.

She looked to be about their age, probably a little older. She had very long brown hair that glowed in the sunlight. Her eyes were a deep greenish-blue color, and shone with kindness. The clothes she wore were not normal ninja clothes, these were more then your average jumpsuit. She wore a green and orange sleeve-less top that stretched to her waist. It was hard to tell if she was wearing shorts or a skirt, I'll just call it a skort. The top layer of the skort was a white lacy fabric. The bottom layer was a light blue color, and came tight around her legs like shorts. She also wore long green boots with small blue ribbons on them. Sakura and Naruto's eyes widened in awe at her sight. Even _I_ was surprised, but I struggled to keep it from showing. Apparently none of us were expecting the intruder to look anything like _her_.

I shook my head tried to come back into focus.

"Well do you have business here or something?" I asked awkwardly.

Naruto on the other hand was all sorts of relaxed and took a step toward the girl. "Hiya!" he greeted her enthusiastically. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki!"

_Way to flirt, loser._

The girl smiled warmly at him and said "Hi. I'm Kira Shitoya, nice to meet you." Then she turned her attention back to me "Yes, I do have business here. Is your Hokage in? I wish to speak with him."

I shrugged, finding it easier now to be my normal self. "Don't know. We're just heading back from a mission, but he's most likely to be there." I looked around, giving the allusion that I was bored.

Despite my attempt at a lousy expression, Kira nodded gratefully. "Thank you. Do you mind if I travel back to the village with you?"

"Of coarse you can!" Naruto almost shouted.

Sakura was more hesitant. "Well… I don't know…"

I took another long look at the girl. She didn't look at all dangerous, only innocent and soft. It was hard to believe that this was the girl who had thrown me off with such force. Was there more to her then what I could see?

I took in a breath of air then blew it out loudly, pondering. "Whatever. Sure, you can come." I offered, but still not completely willing to trust her.

Kira smiled shyly at all three of us. "Okay, thanks."

"This way, ma'am!" Naruto set a big grin on his face and turned in the direction of the village. "Follow me!"

Kira started to follow, then stopped, and looked curiously at Sakura and me. "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't know you're names…?"

I inclined his head, with more politeness then I had intended. "Uchiha Sasuke. And this-" I nodded to Sakura, "is Haruno Sakura."

Sakura brushed a strand of pink hair away from her face. "Hi."

"Nice to meet you both" Kira bowed. Then she turned and followed Naruto again, who was waiting, leaning against a tree a little ahead of them.

"This is where the forest ends," he said, then pointed away from the trees "across that clearing is our village. Take a look, Kira-san."

She hurried to catch up with him, then stood at his side and stared. A wide meadow stretched in front of them, long grasses and small white flowers rippled in the warm breeze. Now that we were out of the cover of the trees, we could see the sunset, turning the sky so many shades of oranges, reds, and pinks. I watched Kira closely from behind. She took in all this before resting her eyes to look at the Hidden Leaf Village. I had seen it a thousand times before, so it was nothing great for me, but Kira and Naruto both seemed to be enjoying themselves. Our village looks like a nice place, not too small or big. From this view we could see the edge of a market, and a row of shops were lined along the dirt streets. There were no bikes or cars, everybody walked to where they wanted to go. Beyond the shops were buildings- houses, apartments, a school, training areas, and some other buildings that seemed to be important. There was a huge wall of rock that stretched protectively along the far side of the village. Kira squinted at the see four faces etched into the rock.

"See that?" Naruto said, pointing to it. "Those are our four Hokages. Three of 'em are dead, that one in the middle, with the spiky hair and beard, is the dude who is Hokage now. Their faces are marked there as a memory to all who live in this village." He explained. Then he smiled proudly "My face will be up there one day, I can grantee it!"

Kira turned her face away from the village to look back at Naruto thoughtfully. "Really? How do you know?"

He squared his jaw. "Oh trust me, I know!" he threw his fist up in the air. "Becoming Hokage Is my lifelong dream!"

Kira laughed. "I believe you. And I'm sure that you _will_ fulfill your dream someday. It's good to have goals."

I stood on Kira's right side and put a hand forward. "Shall we?" I said in a cool voice and took the lead towards Konoha. Naruto and Kira followed side by side behind me, while Sakura kept to the back of the group.

Naruto rambled on and on the whole way. Kira didn't seem to mind. She seemed liked his hyper attitude and listened to his gruff, excited voice with interest. I cut in a couple times to say something or correct Naruto on whatever stupid thing me was saying, but Sakura kept quiet, and I could see out of the corner of my eye that she was watching me intently.

When we reached the village, Naruto pointed everything out to Kira and told her exactly what it was. Like the shops, buildings, even some of the people. When the people looked at Kira strangely, she just smiled and waved to them. Most of them would wave back, then continued on whatever they were doing.

"I like it here." Kira said after a while of walking through the village. She obviously had no idea what direction or where they were going, but she followed right behind my without asking any questions. She seemed to be very trusting.

Naruto grinned. "Good!"

"How long are you planning to stay?" Sakura asked suddenly.

Kira looked back at her, as if noticing for the first time that she was there. Sakura scowled a little.

"I don't know, really." Kira said, slowing a bit so that she was walking next to Sakura instead of in front of her.

I looked back at her, sudden interest gnawing at my gut. "Not to be nosey or anything, but why are you here?"

Kira looked up at me with shining eyes. I tried to ignore how pretty they were. "I'm a traveling ninja, I explore the world and stay at all kinds of different villages. My original home town is the Village Hidden in the Sand, but I've been to many other places too." She explained. "I'm here because I heard about the chunin exams that are coming up, and I'm looking for somebody."

"Looking for somebody?" Naruto questioned, now walking beside her again. "Who?"

There was a pause. Kira had a far away look in here eyes, as if she was looking at something that no one else could see. "His name is Gaara. Gaara of the Sand, he's sometimes called. And, if you know him, it's pretty easy to guess why." Her eyes came back, and she looked at us. "Have you seen him?" she asked desperately.

I continued to stare at her.

"No." Sakura answered quickly. Naruto and I were still staring. What was it about her expression that was so interesting?

"Oh." Kira was disappointed. "Are you sure? He might be with two others, Kankuro and Temari."

Sakura shook her head. "Nope."

"He has short red hair and green eyes."

"Never seen him."

Kira's shoulder's fell. "Oh. Okay." She looked at the ground, her eyes smoldering with sadness.

I kept my expression looking dead and emotionless, but inside my head was spinning. _What's so special about this Gaara guy? I'd have to keep my eyes open for him_. I blinked and was suddenly distracted. _What was up with Kira's eyes? I could have sworn that they were blue, she was looking at me just a minute ago, but now they look all gray._

Sakura shrugged. "Who knows, maybe he'll show up."

Kira looked hopeful.

"Or maybe not." I suggested grimly.

Kira made a face.

"Oh well," she said, recovering. Her bright expression came back again. "So, where can I meet with your Hokage?" she asked lightly.

Naruto wasn't fazed at all by Kira's sudden mood changes, so he was the first to speak up. "We're almost there. Look!" He pointed at a huge building with two big red doors and the leaf village symbol etched above the frame.

"Excellent!" and before anyone could react, Kira was dashing towards the building.

I was surprised.

_Look at the way she runs! It's agile, fast… and that's not even her full speed!_

Of course I kept this admiration to myself. My face was still hard, I hoped. But Sakura wasn't afraid to show that she was impressed. She followed Kira and a sprint, and soon caught up with her. On her tail, Naruto followed while I brought up the rear.

Kira was already making her way through the giant doors, and up the small steps that led to the Hokage's office. There she waiting for the rest of us, though there wasn't really a need to because we were right behind her.

Kira hesitated. For the first time, she looked nervous.

Naruto nudged her. "C'mon Kira-chan. This is what you came for- right?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes…" she tugged on Naruto's orange sleeve. "Come with me, though."

This surprised the three of us. I must have been right about this girl being too trusting- she was warming up to Naruto very quickly.

Kira didn't notice our surprise. She looked from Naruto, to Sakura, to me. "Will you, please?"

Naruto blinked. "Um… sure." Then he brightened. "Let's go in, then! C'mon, don't be shy, open the door already!"

"Mmkay…" without hesitating this time, Kira boldly thrust the door wide open. She walked in, suddenly straightening up and looking professional. Naruto followed closely behind while me and Sakura were more hesitant.

Sakura opened her mouth to whisper something to me, but I was already trudging through the door, leaving her alone in the hallway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Home**

**Naruto's POV**

"This is it!" Kira stared ahead, her blue-green eyes filled with excitement.

The four of us stood in front of a small cottage/house thingy, on the outskirts of Konoha.

I looked it over skeptically. "So… this belonged to your dad or something…?"

Kira nodded, not taking her eyes off of the little building. "Yep. He and my mom rented this place a while back and ended up keeping it. It still belonged to my dad when he died, and everything in his will was given to me… including this baby!" she walked over to the front door and pulled out a key that the Hokage had given her.

Sasuke, Sakura and I had witnessed Kira's discussion with the Hokage. The most I could get out of all of it was that Kira actually **was** a traveling ninja. Her parents

Used to be buddys with the Hokage or whatever, and they had even helped out a lot with the village since they didn't have an official one of their own.

Lord Hokage had never really met Kira before, but she had her birth certificate stuff and apparently she looks a lot like her dad and sounds like her mom so he was really nice about letting her stay. He gave her the key to her house and said she was welcome anytime.

So anyway, I was about to go over to Kira when I heard a familiar voice shout, "Hey, Naruto-san!"

I turned to see Inuzuka Kiba with his dog Akamaru, Aburame Shino, and Hyuga Hinata.

"Hey guys!" I yelled and waved.

I saw Kira, who had just opened the front door, looked up at Team 8. She hesitated, glancing at the door before walking back over to me, Sasuke and Sakura (who hadn't been saying much to each other, let alone Kira or me.)

"Who do we have here…?" Kiba asked as he and the rest of his squad came to a stop in front of us.

"Oh yeah, this is Shitoya Kira." I pointed at her.

She gave a little bow. "Hi there! I'm a traveling ninja and I'll be staying in your village for a while. I hope we can become great friends!" She scanned the three of them. "What are your names?"

Kiba took the liberty of introducing her to his squad. I tried not to look at Hinata, who had suddenly become very interested in her two index fingers.

_ Why does she keep starin at me like that? It's kinda creepy… she won't stop blushing either…_

Akamaru barked, jumping off Kiba's head and on top of Kira. She caught him with surprise as he started licking her face.

Kira giggled.

"Akamaru! Where are your manners?" Kiba said sternly.

"Oh it's ok," Kira said, cuddling Akamaru. "I love dogs!"

The little white dog yelped in delight.

Kiba half-grinned. "So you have a way with animals, huh?"

"Oh yes." She said, now swaying back and forth with Akamaru still in her arms.

"This guy here has a way with bugs." He jabbed a finger at Shino, whose face was half hidden by a jacket and round, dark glasses.

I looked over at Kira who leaned forward, interested. "Really? How so?"

_Heh, she has no idea._

Kira turned to look at me. "No idea about what, Naruto?"

I stood there, stunned and confused about what had just happened but before I could ask anything, Kira screamed and leapt about three yards backwards.

Kiba burst out laughing.

I thought for sure she would have dropped Akamaru but instead she was clinging to him tightly. It must have been a little too tightly because now the dog was squirming and barking.

Kira set him down and ran back over to us. "Whoa!"

Finally I saw what had made Kira jump. Little black beetles were crawling out of Shino's ears and nose.

Sakura made a disgusted sound. Hinata just looked away into the distance with those dreamy eyes of hers. She was used to this kind of act.

"THAT IS WEIRD!" Kira yelled. Her expression was a mixture of surprise, amazement, and a little bit of fear.

"The bugs live inside of him." Kiba explained after he had finally stopped laughing his head off. "He uses them for pretty much all of his techniques."

"That is _gross_!" Kira shrieked but when I looked over to catch her expression she had a big smile on her face. "You'll have to show me sometime!"

Shino nodded.

I saw Sasuke lean towards Kira and whisper, "He's not a man of many words."

"I can tell. Do I even wanna know what's behind those glasses?"

"No."

She laughed a little, and then moved over towards Hinata. "Hi there! Are you Naruto's girlfriend?"

Hinata stared at her, eyes wide and cheeks turning several shades of red. "Uh- um…"

"What???" I heard myself say. My face instantly felt hot and I knew I must have been blushing just as much as Hinata was.

Kira's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought…."

Kira struggled to explain but I could barely hear her. Blood was thumping loudly through my ears. Kiba and Sakura were laughing hysterically while Sasuke and Shino just stood there, smirking.

I struggled to calm myself down. "Uh, it's ok…." I swallowed hard and closed my eyes. "An honest mistake…" I said, trying to be cool about it.

Hinata was on the edge of fainting. Her eyelids fluttered and she was swaying back and forth.

I noticed it before anyone else had, and just as she began to fall backwards, I stepped quickly behind her, catching her in my arms.

This act brought more laughing from Kiba, worried motions from Sakura, and an incredible scheming look from Kira.

"Um…" I looked down at Hinata, who was out cold. I tried picking her up but she was a little heavy.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Kira rushed over after her strange stare had disappeared. She helped me carry Hinata.

"Heh…" Kiba had finally recovered. "Well I guess we should take her home, then… come on guys, I'll lead the way!"

Kira and I followed him in the direction towards Hinata's home, leaving the rest of our friends behind.

* * * * * * * * * *

Hinata finally came round once we were at her house. By this time I had gotten used to Hinata's weight, though my arms were a little sore, and Kira was no longer helping me carry her.

Her face turned a little pink once she noticed that she was in my arms. To be honest, I kind of enjoyed myself. Kira was apologizing frantically and asking Hinata if she was okay.

"I'm alright," she said in her soft little voice. She glanced up at Kira. "We should hang out sometime and get to know each other."

"Yes, yes of course!" Kira smiled at her. "We can be friends?"

"Sure."

Neji was already there, waiting at the Hyuga home, and after a quick introduction to Kira he disappeared into the house with Hinata wobbling behind him.

As we walked back, Kiba and I on either side of Kira, we got to talk about our training.

"Hey here's an idea," Kiba grinned widely at Kira. "Why don't you come swing by the training grounds tomorrow and show us what you can do??"

She blinked, surprised by the sudden offer. "Yes, I would love that! Thank you Kiba!" She smiled at both of us. "That would be fun!"

We reached her house again and said our goodbyes to Kiba, who seemed to be reluctant to leave Akamaru, on the other hand, kept tugging at his ears impatiently. So, Finally, he waved and headed off.

"Thank you so much, Naruto!" Kira said, turning back to me after waving goodbye the Kiba.

The sun was setting now, and Kira seemed to have a certain glow about her. I put my hands behind my head and couldn't help but to feel happy. "Sure thing, sis!"

She brightened even more. "So I'll see you guys tomorrow?"

"Yeah for training!"

"And not only that," she wagged her index finger at me, "Lord Hokage told you three to help me out, remember?"

_Oh yeah, I had almost forgotten that part._

"Well Sure thing, then!" I replied, pretending like I hadn't forgotten. "See ya later!"

She watched as I turned and started to walk away.

_I'll play hard-to-get by not looking back!_

I could have sworn I heard her giggle, but I kept on walking.

**AND SO BEGINS THE ADVENTURES OF KIRA**

**WARNING!!!!**

**IMPORTANT MESSAGE!! PLEASE READ NOW!!!ok so here's what's up, (author speaking) to keep myself from trailing off into never land with this thing, instead of really laying this story out in "chapters" (well i guess you can still call them chapters) I'll post certain events that happen to Konoha and the rest of the Naruto world now that Kira is around. Don't worry, Gaara's gonna be coming up next ;) bear with me! and i apologize that it took me soooo long to put p the second and third chapters. I'm sorry. really, I am. I also apologize if there are any spelling/grammatical errors in any of my chapters... I'll have you know that spelling is certainly not my best subject. BARE WITH ME! 3 oh and thank you to those who have been reading :) :) feel free to review (please do!!!) and send me a message if you have anything to say at all!**

**THANKS!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Reunion**

**Kira's POV**

The next morning my favorite team of genin ninja appeared on my doorstep right on time! Sasuke, Sakura, and even Naruto helped me clean up my new home while socializing at the same time. (Always good!) I made pancakes for everyone, enjoying the very nice kitchen that my mother had so-kindly left for me to use! Sakura made me promise that I would cook for them sometime.

Oh yeah, and about Sakura, she seemed to be warming up to me! I was very happy about that. ^^

Later in the day, Naruto was helping me grocery shop in the nearby market. We were currently in line to pay, discussing sushi, when I spotted two ninja out of the corner of my eye.

My eyes widened in surprise. "Kankuro! Temari!" I waved hugely then ran towards the two sand ninja whom I knew so well.

They didn't recognize me at first, I could tell by their blank expressions. Then all of a sudden a wave of realization hit their faces.

Kankuro was the first to recover. "Kira… Kira Shitoya?" He blinked, and then yelled. "It _is_ you! Little Sis!" he caught me as I was running and pulled me into a giant bear hug. "Where have you been our whole lives? You totally disappeared!"

"Hi… Kan…ku…ro!" my voice kept getting cut off because of how tightly he was hugging her. "Missed…you…too!" Breathing was becoming difficult, but I was too happy to say so.

Luckily Temari saved me.

Temari laughed, "For the love of God, Kan, don't suffocate her!"

Kankuro laughed too, and let go.

I dramatically took in a deep breath then let it out with a _whoosh. _"Kankuro-san! If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to kill me!" then I blinked, and noticed something for the first time. "Big Bro! What the heck did you do to your face?" I reached up and touched the purple lines that were painted across his forehead, cheeks, and chin.

He made a face. "What, you don't like it? I think it's cool!"

I traced the paint with my right thumb. " Well I didn't say I didn't like it, it's just… different." Then I laughed and dropped my hand. "What- a new Suna trend?"

"No, it was all me."

"Well I guess it's not _that_ bad…"

Before Kankuro could say any more, I turned away form him and hugged Temari. "Hey girl! How have you been?"

"I've been okay," she said, hugging back. "But seriously- where _did_ you go?"

I had to think before answering. I wanted to tell them everything. "Well, it's a really long story."

Temari let go. "Well then, you'd better get started. I had loads to tell you, too. You should have seen Gaara after you left-"

"Gaara! Oh my god, where is he?" I almost shouted, my eyes wide. "I've been looking for him!"

Kankuro put a hand on my shoulder to sooth me but it didn't help. I was starting to hyperventilate. "Relax, Kira-chan. He's out for some meeting thing-"

"When will he be back?" I asked anxiously, not letting him finish.

"Soon." Temari assured me. "Why don't you come to our apartment with us? We have lots of catching up to do."

I hesitated, glancing back at Naruto who was still standing watching me with surprise and confusion, grocery bags in both hands.

"Um, one second." I turned and hurried towards him.

"Kira?" he asked when I was at his side.

"Naruto I'm sorry- can you take those back to my place for me? And I'm afraid I won't be able to come train with you guys tonight." I looked at him with pleading eyes. "Sorry, but this is really important."

He shrugged. "It's ok. So those _are_ the people you were looking for?"

I nodded quickly. "Yes."

"Then it must be important."

He turned his back to me, attempting to hide his disappointment. "Well, you can train with us next time, I guess."

"I will. I promise!"

"Kira!" Kankuro called, impatient, waving.

I gave him a look before turning back to Naruto. "Bye Naru-kun, see you tomorrow then!"

"Don't forget, the chunin exams are tomorrow!"

"OH YEAH! I won't be late, I promise!" then I turned and hurried back to Temari and Kankuro.

"Okay okay, let's go!" Temari said.

Kankuro took Kira by the waist while Temari kept her eyes on Naruto. "Hey, I saw him earlier. He was with that pink-haired girl and the other hot guy…" She glanced at me. "They friends of yours?"

"Yeah, they are."

Kankuro snorted. "You always _did_ have a way with the younger ones."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked defensively as Temari led us in the direction of their apartment. "I can be friends with whoever I want."

"I never said you couldn't."

I decided to change the subject. "What's this?" I said, poking the wrapped-up thing that was strapped to Kankuro's back.

Kankuro grinned. "Oh that? That's Crow."

I blinked, studying it. "One of your puppet thingies?"

"Yup." His grin grew wider. "Wanna see it?"

Temari stopped walking, and turned just enough so she could slap Kankuro across the arm. "Idiot. Don't bring that thing out while we're _here_." She indicated to the people that were walking around them.

He pouted. "Well sorry! Let's hurry up and get out of here, anyway. I'm tired."

Temari rolled her eyes and continued walking.

I had to stifle a laugh.

It wasn't long before we did reach the apartment- the best place temporary stay in the Leaf Village. Well- next to my little cottage, that is. This place were Gaara and his sibling were staying was much more fancy then just an ordinary apartment, though. It was more like a hotel then anything, and expensive too.

Temari quickly took them up to their room, third floor, and opened the door.

"Well, here it is." She said, letting me walk slowly inside, then pushing Kankuro through the door. "You'll have to show us where you're staying, Kira. I'm surprised you're not staying here."

"Are you kidding?" I objected loudly. "This place is totally out of my budget!" I paused to look around the room.

We were standing in a medium sized living room. The walls were a very pale green, or at least it looked that way in the dim light that came form the wide window with long, dark curtains. There was a cream-colored couch with a lamp on either side of it against the right wall. In front of the couch was a small wooden coffee table, and a few feet in front of that was a flat-screen TV sitting on some kind of dresser. There was a desk on the left side of the TV, and to it's right, a one of a kind Konoha tree. It wasn't one of the fully-grown trees that circled the leaf village so well, of coarse, but it did the job to make the room look Konoha-perfected.

When I was done goggling around the room with awe, I turned back to Kankuro and Temari, who were watching me with amused eyes.

Kankuro spoke, breaking the silence. "You like this, Little Sis?" his tone was casual.

I smiled at him. "Yeah, I do! It's cool!" she looked around some more. "There is no way I could afford this, though. Can I see the rest of it?"

"Sure." Temari said. "As long as you promise to show us your place tomorrow."

"Well, I can't tomorrow." Kira admitted, "But I will show you guys soon, I promise! Besides, you were right about the catching up- we have tons to talk about! I can't wait till Gaara gets here…" my voice trailed off.

"Speak of the devil," Kankuro chimed cheerfully, "Would you like to see our room?"

"Sure, why not."

After giving me a fairly long tour of the rest of their apartment (which was extremely impressive, by the way) we ended up back in the dimly lit living room, lounging on the green coaches.

Temari was the first to speak. "Tell us your story, Kira." She was looking at me thoughtfully.

Kankuro, who had always been a huge flirt to me, put his arm around me. "Yeah, tell us. We wanna know why we haven't seen you since the beginning of time."

I pushed him off.

"Well… were should I start?"

"First, tell us about the night you disappeared. We've asked Gaara about that thousands of times, but he won't spill a thing about you anymore."

"Yeah," Kan added, "He used to blab all day about you when u guys were buddy buddies way back when. Now whenever we speak of you he gets all tense and stuff. Though he's still creepy, anyway…" He laughed slightly. "But don't tell him I said that."

I punched him playfully but promised all the same, "I won't."

So I began from the start, the night I saw Kazecage commit the crime of all time. As I explained what happened, both Kankuro and Temari's eyes grew wide. I paused; just I case they wanted to add anything, but there was only silence. So I continued with my story, explaining how Lord Kazecage had threatened my father and how we fled to a village in the Land of Water, the farthest place we could afford to go.

I sighed. "It wasn't a very good place to be, though. The land of Water was suffering from war and bad evil blood. My father did everything he could to protect me and teach me about being a ninja."

When I came to the part about how my dad was killed by rouges, Temari gasped and Kankuro put his arm around me again, except this time I didn't shove him away.

"That's too bad," Temari cooed. "Your father was always so nice. And he was a good teacher, too."

I nodded sadly. "Yeah, he taught me just about everything he knew before he was killed. Which came in handy, because I knew so much at such a young age."

For once Kankuro didn't have a comment, he only tightened his grip on my shoulders. It was comforting... at first.

I decided that if he didn't let go of me in five minutes that I would bite him.

I went on to explain how this one rouge, Zabuza, practically destroyed the whole village with the help of some other wacky ninja's and his little apprentice, Haku.

"I didn't know him very well," I said, getting lost in my own life story. "Haku, I mean. I had seen him around in the streets and stuff. I even talked to him a couple times. I heard his family was killed and that he was cursed. I didn't know whether the rumors were true or not, but I felt sorry for him …"

Zabuza had taken in little Haku and used him as a tool. I was surprised by how well Haku responded to his new master.

"Anyway, when Zabuza attacked our village, he sent Haku out to finish me off after I'd witnessed him murder my own father. I ran as fast as I could, the fastest I've ever run in my entire life! But Haku was stronger then me. All of a sudden he was in front of me and I was on the ground, staring up into his little eyes…"

I paused, lost again.

Kankuro squeezed my shoulder, which reminded me that his five minutes were almost up.

"What happened next?" he asked anxiously.

I sighed. "So I looked up at Haku and asked him, 'Are you going to kill me, too?' to my surprise he said, 'no,'" I shuddered. "It didn't make much sense to me at the time, because then he pulled out some weird looking needles and threw them at me, they hit just below my neck."

Temari was watching me intensely as if I was telling her some cool ghost story.

I continued, "I woke up in the woods just outside the snow village, curled up in the bough of a tree. It didn't take me long to realize that the village was burning… I had no home, no supplies, to where to go. I was cold and bruised… lucky to be alive…"

I trailed off, tired of talking about myself.

The two sand ninja seemed to understand.

"Did someone find you?" Temari wondered. I shook my head.

"Did you… travel to the closest village all by yourself?"

"No."

"Well tell us one last thing then you can be done talking."

I nodded. "I stayed in the forest for a little while, huddled in the trees. It wouldn't stop snowing…" I tilted my head, trying to remember. "I would have died there if it hadn't been for-"

Suddenly the two sand ninja tensed. Kankuro removed his arm that was around me and scooted away. Temari stood up.

"He's here." She said, her voice like ice.

"Who… Gaara?"

Kankuro nodded.

It surprised me, the way Temari and Kankuro were acting like this. They had been totally relaxed a few seconds before they sensed Gaara's presence. What as the big deal? Gaara was their little brother!

I didn't have time to ask because just then he burst into the room.

Kankuro stood up, blocking my view of him.

"Gaara-sama," Temari's voice was extremely polite and smooth like velvet. "How was the meeting?"

He didn't answer, aware that I was in the room.

"Who is this…?"

"Uh, Gaara, this is…" Kankuro stammered, but I interrupted him by standing up and taking a step forward.

Before I could say anything, my eyes swept over him greedily, taking in as much of him as possible.

His hair was the same way I remembered, red and scruffy.

Everything else about him was different.

His eyes were the same color, a light jade green, but instead of innocent confused eyes, they were cold and seemed almost lifeless.

He still had no eyebrows, which didn't really bother me much, but above his left eye there was a symbol (it looked like a red tattoo or something) The Japanese symbol for love.

He wore strange Suna clothes and a large clay container strapped to his back. It didn't take me long the understand that inside of this container was sand.

_Gaara's got a jar of dirt?_

I didn't realize that I had been staring at him, speechless, until Kankuro bumped me from behind.

I snapped out of my trance. "Gaara, do you remember me?"

He didn't answer. He just stared at me with those cold green eyes.

I took that as a no.

"It's me… Kira Shitoya," I took a step closer.

Temari shot me a warning glance.

Gaara sniffed. "Oh yeah… you…" his voice was dry and raspy, like a, empty canteen. He spoke just above a whisper, like sand blowing in the wind.

There was an awkward silence.

Temari broke it by saying, "Um, she's staying in Konoha for the exams to, and she said she's been looking for you…"

All my life I had dreamed about seeing Gaara again. I pictured it as a happy reunion with smiles and tears.

This was no where near what I had been expecting, and now that he was right here, standing only a few feet away form me, I wasn't sure what to say.

I pushed away my shyness and tried to brighten the mood a little.

"How have you been?" I smiled at him. He didn't say anything but still looked a little stunned. I continued. "Um, it's true what Temari says. I, uh, missed you… I would have gone back to Suna sooner, after my father was killed and all," I kept my voice as strong as I could. "But I had to train and stuff and I ran into some trouble on the way that slowed me down… Besides, I didn't know if Lord Kazecage would have kept his grudge against my father and me … then by the time I **did** get to your village, they said you guys had gone off to Konoha for the chunin exams and stuff. I had been planning on passing by here anyway and I really wanted to see you so… here I am."

I smiled again, suddenly realizing that I had been babbling. My cheeks felt hot so I knew for sure that I was blushing. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kankuro smirk, but his expression disappeared quickly.

_It's impossible to read Gaara's expression, I wonder if it would be easier to read his mind._

_No, I can't do that now, that would be weird. Still, I would like to know…_

He finally spoke, "Why were you looking for me?"

I blinked. "Because! I-I still wanted to be your friend and all even after-"

"After you betrayed me?"

My jaw dropped. "What? What are you talking about? How did I betray **you**?" my voice was rising in pitch but I couldn't help it, I was so surprised and hurt.

"You," He said, slowly inching forward. "Pretended to be my friend. You lured me into trusting you, almost _loving_ you," he spat out the word _love_ in disgust.

He kept coming forward but I stood still.

"Then you ran away, even after my father had tried to kill me **again!**"

He was only a few inches away from me now, glaring down at me.

"But-" I tried, but he cut me off.

"You left me with a broken heart and an understanding that love is **not** good, it is only painful!"

My eyes started to burn. I knew it was only a matter of time before tears started to form, but I held it in.

I attempted to speak again, but his voice was louder then mine at this point.

"And now you just show up, expecting some sort of… bond??"

He was breathing heavily, speaking through his teeth. I took a moment to understand how he was feeling.

I waited a minute for him to calm down a little, and then finally had my chance to say something.

"Gaara, the other reason why I came looking for you was to say that I am sorry." My voice cracked and it took every ounce of my will power to keep from crying, I didn't want to seem weak in front of the sand ninja. "I understand that you feel betrayed, but the truth is my father and I were forced to leave Suna. Otherwise we would have both been killed!"

I paused. Gaara was staring into my eyes. I stared back, willing him to believe me. "I didn't _pretend _to be your friend. I _wanted_ to be your friend, and to show you love!"

I looked down at my feet; unable to hold eye contact anymore, otherwise I might have broken out into tears.

"I just didn't know… things would turn out so badly…" I said softly. "I'm sorry… Gaara-kun."

It was when I said his name like that he couldn't take it anymore. He turned without a word and stormed out of the apartment room, slamming the door behind him.

I didn't look up, but I could feel Kankuro and Temari's eyes on me.

Nobody moved for a long moment. Then finally Temari came over to me and wrapped me in a hug. "You should go home now, sis. We'll walk with you."

I couldn't speak for fear of sobbing.


	5. Chapter 5

**Explanations**

**Gaara's POV**

I sat on the apartment rooftop, gazing up at the moon. I was sitting atop my sand container and pondering the mystery that is Kira.

Suddenly I froze. I could hear soft footsteps. Someone was leaping off the tree and onto my rooftop. I couldn't tell who it was, but I didn't turn to look. Only stared straight ahead at the moon. The person came closer. The pattern of his or her footsteps was unfamiliar to me.

"So this is what you do at night, huh?" A clear voice came from behind me.

I couldn't help it; I spun around to look at her.

Her long, shiny brown hair was neatly tied into two pretty braids that hung like woven ribbons at her sides. She was no longer wearing her jumpsuit (though that's no way to describe the strange but attractive objects of clothing that she was wearing earlier) but had put on cottony pants, a tank top, and an evening robe. Apparently, this is what someone would call her "pjs".

She seemed to be taking in my appearance as well, though I was positive that there was nothing real interesting to look at.

"Yeah…" I replied gruffly and turned back towards the starry sky.

I flashed back to earlier today. My actions were clearly irrational, but I had found that I was unable to control my emotions towards her. All of that anger and came had come back in a huge rush, followed quickly by sadness.

Hence why I ran from the scene.

I wondered what she thought of me, now.

I didn't hear her move any closer. She lingered there, standing just a few yards behind me.

Her silence was telling me that she either was thinking of something to say, or had so much to say that she didn't know where to begin.

That's fine, I like silence. But despite myself I made a comment. "Why, aren't you supposed to be sleeping? That _is_ what normal people do during the night, correct?" my tone was rude but I didn't really care.

At least I thought I didn't.

She laughed nervously. "Well, yeah, but I couldn't sleep." Her tone was light. Casual, but very thoughtful. My cranky mood didn't seem to faze her at all.

I blinked up at the moon and expected more silence, but instead I suddenly found that she was standing closer then she was a few seconds before. Now she was only a few feet away from me. She looked thoughtfully up at the stars. "You always did like high places, if I can remember right."

"I like to see things," I said, sweeping my eyes over the sleeping leaf village. "And I enjoy night because it's very quiet." Why and how was I telling her this? I had no idea, but the words seemed to pour out of my mouth like an eager waterfall. It was easy to talk to her, even though I hadn't seen her and had been burning over her for the last seven years.

I felt her eyes on my back. She took another hesitant step towards me. I flinched.

She noticed and backed off right away. "What's the matter?"

I didn't answer and let her stand in eerie silence. I tried to forget she wasn't there, closing my eyes and focusing on the sound of the wind moving through the leaves of a nearby tree. Such a soothing whisper…

But after trying for a while, the only kind of whispering I could focus on was her breathing. She was breathing slowly, I guessed that she was probably tired despite what she had said.

"Kankuro and Temari… told me our story after you left." I admitted after another long pause.

"Hm, I'm not surprised." Her voice told me that she was smiling.

"You didn't tell them what happened after your village was destroyed…" I was glad she couldn't see my expression. I was curious, in spite of myself.

"Oh yeah …" She walked over and sat next to me.

_Why so bold all of a sudden?_

She grinned at me. "I'm not scared of you, Gaara."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You should be."

"Why?" she replied in a very defiant manner.

I growled. "Because! I could kill you any second and you wouldn't even have any time to blink."

Her eyebrow rose. "Oh really?"

"Yes really."

She shrugged and looked away. "Fine then. Go ahead."

I paused, surprised.

After a few silent minutes of struggling to decide whether I should kill her or not, Kira turned back towards me and stuck out her tongue.

"See, I knew you couldn't do it."

Anger boiled inside me at her rude gesture, and the cork popped off of the container of sand that we were both sitting on.

Sand started rushing out of the container.

Kira didn't seem to notice.

"So, anyway, about my childhood," She said, dramatically changing the subject. "I was saved by the animals in the forest outside my old village."

The sand stopped.

I was momentarily interested. "The… animals?"

"Yeah," she said. "You know, deer and squirrels and wild cats and stuff. Ever since I was little I've always had a special connection with nature, especially with animals. My dad said it had something to do with my Grandma living with them and that it was in my blood or whatever. I use animals in most of my nature techniques." She explained, excited. "I can even talk to some creatures! Well… telepathically. Mostly mammals and birds, and I can read human minds a little. I seem to have a hard time with reptiles and fish, though. I think that's because they are cold blooded…"

I listened to her babble for a while, slightly amused. She went on about other villages she'd stayed at and trained. In the Sound village she had learned to master her telepathy. In the Land Hidden in the Waves she had gotten her junin headband, but she didn't like to wear it.

Finally I couldn't stand listening to her talk anymore so I forced some sand into her mouth.

She spat it out. "Ugh, ew Gaara now I'm gonna have sand in my teeth!" then she **laughed**. "Sorry for boring you, but next time_ tell _me when you want me to shut up. Or at least think it."

I closed my eyes. Her laugh was still ringing in my ears like a charming bell. The sound vibrated through my head in a strange soothing sort of way. I strained to saver every note and echo.

Finally the voice died and I was left in silence again. I opened my eyes to see Kira sitting closer to my side and staring up into the night sky. Her eyes were wide and a deep blue in color.

_Huh, I thought she had greenish eyes. Must be the light._

I followed her gaze toward the stars and immediately felt relaxed.

After a while she spoke up again. "Gaara-san… Are you still… I mean…." She struggled, trying to find the proper words to say. "What's up with you and love?"

I stared hard at my feet. "I love only myself. I fight only for myself. I kill people to make me feel alive." My voice was cold and sharp. I could feel Kira staring at my in astonishment but I kept my eyes down.

I continued, "I am utterly alone and I don't trust anyone."

There was a moment of silence.

I expected her to freak out, or give up on me, or turn away or _something_ like that.

Instead she did the complete opposite of what I was expecting.

She snorted and said: "Well what kind of a life is that?"

I looked up at her. She was making a weird face at me, almost like a smirk.

"Sounds like you don't have much to live for, huh? Gaara, do you even know what love _is_?" her voice was surprisingly warm. "Love is a beautiful thing! But I'm not gonna lie, it is true that love can hurt sometimes."

I was having trouble understanding what exactly she was talking about. Besides, I was still caught off guard by her attitude and by how incredibly interesting she was.

She read my mind.

"Well," she put her hands out and went straight into explaining mode. "The Webster's explanation for love is 'an intense affection for another person' or 'wanting the best for someone.' This is very right and true, but my definition of love is a little different. For instance, there are four kinds of love."

_What's a "Webster?"_

"Dictionary." Kira said plainly.

The fact that she could read my mind was somewhat annoying.

She lifted her index finger. "First, is the kind of love you have for your family," She held up two fingers. "Second, is the love you have for your friends," Three fingers "and third, the love you have for your… uh, 'significant other.'" she winked at me. "There is also a love for God, but I don't really think you know about Him. I'll get to that later."

"Now," she went on, " Each kind of love is different from the other, yet totally the same…"

She was babbling again. This girl really liked to hear herself talk. Either that, or she just had a lot to say and not enough time to say it.

I tried to speak but she cut me off, so I attempted to pay attention. It was useless to try and make her stop.

After listening to her for about five minutes I was getting tired of the word "love" so I tuned her out and focused on the moon. It was a half-moon, one side giving off a silvery glow, while the other dark and cast in shadow. It was a shame, the moon looked ten times more beautiful when it was full, why couldn't it shine on both sides?

Suddenly I realized that Kira had stopped babbling, and was looking at me expectantly as if he had just asked me a question.

I gave her a look of what I hoped was annoyance.

"I take that as a no. Don't worry, I'll explain that next." She half joked.

I really felt that now was a good time to stop that form happening.

She was about to continue but I threw in the first thing that came to mind. "You said these kinds of love are also similar…?"

She nodded. "Oh yes. They all have plenty of things in common. The person you _love_, whether they're a friend or a family member, is precious to you and you want desperately to protect them."

I remembered what Yashamaru had said about love, so many years before.

It was a difficult thing to go back to. I cringed at all the memories that had been locked up inside me, unexplored for so long.

I glanced at Kira out of the corner of me eye. She was stifling a yawn, and she struggled to open her eyes again each time she blinked.

_She's like a child._

"You should get some sleep." I suggested.

She sighed. "Yeah, okay, you're probably right." She didn't even try to hide her next yawn, which was huge by the way. "Exams are tomorrow…"

She slumped against my shoulder for a minute. "You guys are going, right?" her voice was softer now, and slightly croaky.

_Must have been from all that talking._

"Mm sorry about that…" she mumbled. "I just missed you…"

I turned to look at her, very much aware that she was leaning on me now. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open. Every second her breathing became slower, and slower, and deeper…

Kira, she girl that I hadn't seen in I don't even know how many years, was falling asleep on my shoulder.

And what did I do about it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing! Still, now, I don't even know what I could have, or should have done. I was just so stunned.

So I let her sleep, wondering what she could be dreaming about.

I gazed up at the moon again, and was surprised to find what it reminded me of.

Us.


	6. Chapter 6

**Memories**

**Kira's POV**

In my dream I was running.

The world around me was blurry, and I didn't have much of an idea as to where I was headed. I just kept soaring forward.

I couldn't feel or see my legs, but some how I just propelled faster. Faster. Faster.

Throughout the entire time that I was running, the same thoughts kept repeating in my head.

_I have to find him. I need to know that he's safe._

While my mind reeled, my heart sped. I was torn between two people, two sides. I could never choose between them, I loved and _needed_ them both so much.

The dream was so vivid, so real.

I was beginning to pant, my breath came out in gasps, but I didn't stop. This was too important.

I had to keep going, I had to find them…

"Kira!"

My dream was interrupted when someone screamed my name. I groaned and wished that they would go away.

"Kira what the heck are you doing up there?"

Wavering in and out of consciousness, I opened my eyes a little. I saw the sky, clear and blue above me, and the yellow sun glaring into my face. I squinted, surprised by the sudden burst of color and brightness.

"Hey she lives!"

"Honestly, for a minute there I thought she was dead."

"HEY KIRA SHETOYA!!!!!"

I rubbed my eyes, still extremely groggy. I mumbled something that I hoped sounded like "what??"

Then someone was there with me, wherever I was, shaking me.

"Kira how could you possibly fall asleep in a place like this? Do you sleep walk or something?"

I looked up into Sasuke's face, still confused. His eyes were dark, but kind of beautiful. For a split second he looked concerned, then his face went hard. "Stupid."

"What are you talking about…" suddenly everything that happened last night came back to me in a wave. "WHOA!"

I shot up, almost knocking Sasuke over by my sudden force. Of course I was wide-awake now, ferociously looking around. _Did I really fall asleep here? Where's Gaara?_

Sasuke patted me on the shoulder. I peered down from the rooftop and say Naruto and Sakura, staring up at me. Naruto was beaming but Sakura seemed a little worried.

"You silly girl!" Naruto called. "You'll be late for the exams!"

"HOLY CRAP THE EXAMS!" My hands flew up to face. I had totally forgotten! _Man it's just one thing after another!_

"We're on our way right now," Sasuke let on, "if you would care to join us-"

"DO I LOOK LIKE I AM IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM READY TO GO??"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, looking defensive. "Well you seem perfectly okay lazing off in this place so don't blame me."

"Sorry," I nodded then leapt down from my rooftop and said in a rush, "I'll meet you guys there, okay? I gotta go get ready, see you soon!"

I sped away in the direction of my little home, running as fast as I could. Running like this reminded me of my dream, but I pushed that thought away.

Finally burst threw my front door. I happened to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and almost swore. My hair was all tangled and sticking up in odd places. My braids had come undone and there were dark circles under my eyes.

Have you ever tried changing your clothes, eating breakfast, brushing your teeth, washing your face, and doing your hair within three minutes? I'll tell you it is not easy.

I paused to look in the mirror again. I looked a little better, my hair was put into one long braid (don't ask me how I do that) and the blotches under my eyes were less noticeable. I figured it was presentable, but now wasn't the time to be worrying about how I looked. Still in a hurry, I gathered most of my fighting things just in case. I really had no idea what to expect about these exams.

I glanced at the clock on my dresser and didn't even try to hold back the words that slipped out. I grabbed a few energy bars and ran out the door.

* * * * * * * * * *

I crept forward, panting. No sound could be heard from inside room 301.

_This sucks. Maybe I can sneak in and no one will notice…_

It was annoying that, even though I was trying desperately to be quiet, every floorboard in the dang hallway would creek and moan.

I put my ear up to the door, the entrance into the chunin exams. Still not a sound. Though I thought I _could_ hear a small scribbling noise, like a pen or pencil being scraped across paper.

Hesitantly, I pushed against the door ever so slightly, testing to see if it would creek.

It did.

_Shoot._

"A little late, are we?"

The sudden voice made me jump and I had to bight down hard on my tongue to keep from gasping in surprise.

A tall man with silvery gray hair stood over me. He had a black cloth covering most of his face, so only his right eye was exposed. It was difficult to read his expression, but his voice was very mellow and relaxed. His mind was well guarded and cloudy, so I couldn't read it very well. I guessed he was a very powerful ninja.

"Oh… you much be… Kakashi Hatake?" I whispered, unsure.

"Yes," His eye swept over me. "And you must be little Kira Shitoya…"

_LITTLE???_

H  
e must have seen the annoyance in my face because he chuckled softly. "Don't mind me saying so," He smiled. Well, at least I _think_ he did. His voice was very warm… "You all seem little to me. Besides, the last time I saw you, you were just a baby."

"What?"

He stared into my blinking eyes. "Yes, I was very close to your father. He never spoke of me?"

I struggled with my words, all of a sudden feeling flushed. "Well, yes, he did. But I didn't know… I mean, I must have forgotten he showed me to you as well."

Kakashi studied me for a moment, than said nonchalantly, "You have his eyes."

I stared back at him, unable to look away.

"Always changing, never the same…" he went on in a hushed voice.

I felt my cheeks grow hot so I attempted to remove myself from the awkward moment.

"He mentioned you sometimes…" I said.

I took a moment to remember, back when I was a child, training with my father.

**Flashback**

He and I were standing in a clearing, outside the wind village. One of the many villages and countries we visited.

He was standing away from me, to avoid accidentally hitting me with the jutsu he was performing.

It had been a while since I had _really_ thought about my father. His image was still clear in my mind. His hair was darker then mine, and he was a little darker-skinned. But we were said to have had the same smile, the same twinkle in our eyes, and (hopefully) the same good looks. Of course, whenever he talked about my mother, he would always describe her to be beautiful.

My dad loved to travel. He could never stay in one place too long. He also loved to learn. I wished I could have inherited his knowledge, but I would always pull up short on the smart side. He was always thought of as the smartest person I knew. Sometimes he would just act in a way as if he knew that something was going to happen before it did. Or, sometimes he'd talk, and you could just tell that he knew something that you didn't. I knew that was partly because he traveled a lot, but it seemed like there was something more too.

Like now, he was teaching me one of the many jutsu he had discovered during his travels.

"This is a special one," he said, making quick hand signals. I tried to follow, but as always his fingers moved too quickly for my eyes to catch.

He must have guessed that I was struggling, due to my expression. He breathed a chuckle. "Don't worry love, I'll show it to you slowly later." Then he gave me that one special look that always made me smile.

He finished making hand signals and held out his right hand. That's when his arm began to shake. He held onto his right wrist with his left hand to keep his chakra under control. His hand appeared to be on fire with blue flames, and his eyes grew wide and excited. Letting out a loud cry, he ran at the nearest tree (it was a big tree, mind you) and smashed his flaming fist against it with all his might. There was a pause, and I wondered if anything had actually happened. Then BOOM! The first tree that he had hit tipped backwards, its roots spewing from the ground. I could now see a giant hole in the middle of the mighty tree's trunk, aw well as the three trees behind it. Dirt flew in all directions, and finally the tree toppled over with a loud crash that shook the ground.

I stared in amazement. I looked over at my father who was grinning, enjoying my expression.

"You think that was cool? That was nothing. But I think it's the most that you can handle for right now." He laughed and came over to me. With bold, strong arms he lifted me up onto his shoulders. I giggled in delight.

"Daddy, where did you learn that?"

"An old friend, Kakashi." He replied. "Great ninja. He's famous for that one. And I'll assure you he can perform his jutsu way better than I ever could."

"Impossible!" I teased, ruffling his thick black hair with my small hands.

We walked in silence for a while. I enjoyed the warmth of the sun on my face. Dad seemed to be lost in thought. Finally, he said, "You've met him before."

"Hmm? Who?" I asked, snapping out of a daydream.

"Kakashi Hatake. He's from the Leaf Village, where you were born."

I remembered what he had told me before about Konaha. "Oh yeah!"

Dad nodded. "It's a great place to be, Kira. If we didn't have to pass by the Sand borders to get there, I'm sure we'd be there now."

I considered that for a minute.

"Did Mom like it too?"

A smile came to his lips, but his eyes were smoldering gray. Sad.

"Yes," he said, "She loved that place. She would have stayed there, if…" his face became even more painful. I couldn't bear to see him like that so I attempted to change the subject.

"I wanna go back there someday." I said proudly, holding up my fists.

This made him laugh.

**End Flashback**

"I'm Sorry," Kakashi said.

I looked up quickly, embarrassed that I had zoned out in front of him.

"I'm keeping you fro the exams." He apologized.

I suddenly remembered why I was standing there. "Oh right! Dang…" I let out a small laugh. "Heh… I'm really late, aren't I?"

His eye was warm. "Yeah. Just make up some excuse- it's what I always do!"

Somehow that really didn't make me feel any better. But, all the same, I took a deep breath and walked through the doors, trying to look braver than I felt.


	7. Chapter 7

**Amateur**

**Morino Ibiki POV**

Her name was Kira Shetoya.

She walked in suddenly (even though she tried to be subtle about it) after I just told the kids to begin. Of coarse every eye in the room was on her when she walked in. You could tell that she had been trying to avoid such a thing but it happened to her anyway.

She had an orange rucksack slug over her shoulder and held in her hand a genin headband with the markings of The Land of Water on it. I don't know why she didn't bother to put it on just like everyone else.

I reached under my coat and took out the clipboard that had all the names and faces of those who had signed up for the exam. I found her picture. She looked a lot younger than she actually was, she still had that child-like innocence about her.

_She'd better be more talented then she appears to be. Babies don't make it past my exam._

She walked up to me and whispered that she was sorry she was late. I stopped her before she could give me any excuses. Feeling high ad mighty, I handed her a copy of the test without a word and pointed in the direction of the only open seat in the classroom. I was temporarily reminded of a high school freshman who gets lost on her way to her very first class.

Pathetic.

Kira finally understood that I wasn't going to give her any sort of verbal instruction. Any ninja who was worthy of the exam wouldn't need to hear an explanation anyway. She nodded, quietly said thank you, and walked over to her new seat.

_That's what you get for being late._

I was feeling quite pleased with myself. I had managed to scare (or at least confuse) just about every one in the room. I was being my usual evil self and I very much enjoyed it. Everything was going extremely well... until _that girl_ walked into the room.

I watched her carefully now. She was reading through the questions now, I could see her eyes scanning the paper. After a while she put the paper down.

I smirked.

You could tell from her expression she was thinking "what the heck?" Of coarse she didn't know any of the answers. Who did? The point was she had to cheat without getting caught.

She was staring around the room now and you could almost see the wheels turning in her head. She tapped her fingers upon the paper and loudly blew air from her lips. She looked around at the people in the room. She made eye contact with some blonde kid who gave her a nervous smile. She smiled back and raised her hand to wave, but another kid turned around and gave her a sharp look. She made eye contact with this other boy now (strange kid with a hood and face paint) and you could tell that full understanding passed between them in just one moment. It was as if they had an entire conversation. But then he faced his test again and began scribbling on his paper.

Kira smiled again at the blonde boy before tuning her attention back to her own test. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. There was a pause. Then she opened her eyes, pulled out a pen from her backpack, and began writing in the answers as if she had known them all along.

I studied the loud blonde kid. He hadn't written anything on his paper yet. How could she have gotten answers from him? Or maybe that smile she gave had nothing to do with answers at all.

There were three possibilities: First, she could have known the questions to the answers all along and could write them with ease. This was unlikely, because the questions were specifically designed so that none of the students knew the correct answers, therefore forcing them to cheat. Second, she could be guessing and just writing down an answer that sounded smart. Well that was unlikely too, since she looked so serious about what she was doing. And third… something must be going on. She must have found one of the ninjas planted in the room who were writing the correct answers and was cheating off of them without having to look or move.

Is that possible?

I was impressed. She had managed to cheat somehow without any visible effort.

When the appropriate time came, I announced that I would give the tenth and final question of the written exam.

I looked around the room, making eye contact with each of my victims. I explained the consequences of getting the last question wrong. Most were stunned, their eyes widened in horror.

This is a great trick!

Then my eyes fell open Kira, who had looked just as surprised as everyone else at first, but was now smirking to herself. She was either very cocky or she knew what was going on.

_Well even if she does know, she better not reveal it to anyone else!_

But it didn't seem as if she had a squad. And out of the genin who were too nervous to move forward, she wasn't one of them. She just sat there with her arms crossed, waiting.

I went through the process of explaining that everyone remaining had passed the first exam, yaddah yaddah, happy ending right? It was actually enjoyable (a little) but then Anko came in and stole my thunder. She makes me sick.

When the leftover genin got up to stand in their squads and follow Anko to the second part of the exam, Kira stood alone.

"Hey, you!" I shouted to her. Everyone in the room turned their heads to look at her.

"Uh, yeah?" she stood up straighter.

"You don't belong to a squad, do you?"

"No sir, I'm a traveling ninja."

"I see… I'll have to put you with another group then." My eyes swept across the room. Some kids looked tough and experienced, others were immature.

_Where should I put her?_

Standing in the corner were three sand ninjas. From where I was standing, they looked pretty scary… especially the red-haired one. He was staring off into the distance with cold eyes. This squad probably had some of the three fiercest genin ninjas in it.

_Perfect._

"You may join them." I said pointing. Hopefully they would scare her. Maybe kill her off themselves in the woods. After all, they were sand ninja.

But instead I was completely surprised. A huge smile broke out of Kira's face and she ran over to them. She hugged the tall guy with weird paint on his face, smiled at the blonde girl, and stood next to the scary-looking guy.

Oh crap. She knew them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Over the river and through the woods…**

**Kankuro's POV**

The four of us stood in the dense foliage of the Forest of Death.

Gaara had just murdered three genin that had been too cocky to realize just who they were dealing with.

Team Shigure had come across our team just by chance, but after being stupid and ignoring our warnings, they decided to fight us. That resulted in a quick death for each of them.

Kira, who hadn't really been doing much during our time in the forest besides entertaining Temari and me with conversation, grew quiet while Gaara was in his rage.

She had recognized the sand that shielded Gaara when he was attacked, All of the power that was behind it was knew to her however. It was the first time Kira had actually seen Gaara fight, and she was very impressed at first. But then Gaara's bloodlust kinda surprised her, and she looked a little shaken. She was watching him now with careful eyes, standing next to Temari.

I picked up the scroll that the guy, now dead, had laid before us.

"Hey, we got lucky, it's a heaven scroll!" I turned around. "Alright! Let's head to the tower."

Gaara stood looking away. He said in a creepy voice, "Just shut up."

I stared at him. "Huh?"

"It's not…" he spoke in a shaky voice, "it's still not enough for me."

Gaara was looking off into the bushes, as if he could see something none of us could. I glanced at Kira, who looked very worried. Her eyes shifted from the place Gaara was looking at, and to his face.

"What… do you mean, Gaara?"

I didn't like where this was going. I hoped he wasn't gonna go looking for someone else to brutily murder, I was sick of being in these woods already.

"C'mon Gaara.." I said in a tired voice. "Let's go!"

Gaara turned his face slightly and set his icy green eyes upon me. "What are you… scared? You coward!"

_What's with this sudden attitude?_

I was starting to get annoyed. I started striding towards him. "Look Gaara, I know this test is no problem for you, but it's dangerous for Temari and me! One set of scrolls is good enough. It's all we need to pass!"

Gaara scoffed. "Losers. Don't tell **me** what to do."

Okay. Now I was really made.

"I grabbed a hold of his sash. "Alright, that's enough! Sometimes you have to listen to what your big brother says!"

He had a sly expression on his face, which just made me even more angry. "It's too bad I don't think of you as my brother." He said.

I heard Kira gasp a little.

"If you get in my way…" Gaara went on, "I'll kill you."

Kira tried to move forward but Temari held her back.

"He means it…" She whispered urgently.

That made Kira hesitate.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at me. I just stood there staring him down, unable tot think of something to say. Eventually Gaara swept my hand away and then moved his hand in the direction of the bushes. Sand began to move.

Temari tried to step in, keeping Kira behind her. "Wait, Gaara… You don't have to treat us like we're the enemies." She put one of her hands up but kept the other on Kira, who was looking a little frantic. She continued "Look, do it as a favor for your sister. Please?"

Of course Gaara had always treated Temari better than me since she was the girl, even if it was just a little better. But he still didn't stop from whatever he was doing with the sand.

It swirled around the bushes that were off to me left. I didn't understand what was happening.

Then Kira couldn't take it anymore. "No Gaara, please stop!" she wrenched herself away from my sister's grip and ran towards Gaara, throwing her self onto his outstretched arm. It didn't budge.

"Don't Gaara-kun, there's no need for more killing!"

Now I understood. Hiding in the bushes were three more genin. I couldn't tell who they were or if I knew them, but I could see their backs now, crouched down among the underbrush. Gaara was planning on killing them, That's why Kira was so upset. She must have known them then.

The sand increased it's speed. Kira shook him.

"GAARA!" Kira and Temari both screamed in unison.

His hand closed.

I shut my eyes tight, not wanting to see the blood.

There was a moment of stillness. Had he killed them?

Gaara looked over at Kira, who was still clinging to him. He opened his hand to reveal the cork to his sand gourd.

"Alright…" He said, giving up. "_This _time…" He turned and walked away.

Temari, Kira, and I all relaxed. Everything was okay now…

But then Kira went after him.

"NO!" Temari and I both tried to grab her but she evaded us.

"Hey, Gaara… I was just wondering…" She walked innocently beside him, but he just ignored her.

"Hey… what's wrong?" she reached up and lightly put a hand on his shoulder. With one swift motion, Gaara turned, slashed her hand away, and jumped away from her. It happened so fast I barely saw him move.

"Do **not**," Gaara seethed through clenched jaws, "**touch** me."

Kira's face twisted in confusion. Her negative emotions spread out easily across her expression. First she looked surprised, then hurt, then frustrated.

"Why not?" For the first time, Kira looked unhappy.

Gaara looked as if he wanted to say something, but decided against it. He turned and began to walk away again.

Kira wouldn't have that.

She trampled after him, "Gaara?"

I stepped forward. "Kira, its best to just leave it!" My voice was just above a whisper so that Gaara wouldn't hear, but Kira pretended not to notice.

She looked really mad now. "Why the heck are you always so mean to everyone that happens to cross your path?"

He kept walking.

_This is bad. Kira! Please don't make him angry!_

"What's wrong with you? What happened to make you like this?" she went on. "You seemed just fine with me touching you yesterday!"

_Whoa, what did I miss?_

I thought about making a joke, she was setting herself up for one after all, but that probably would not have helped with the situation. I wouldn't have been able to anyway cause that girl would just not shut up. "Just because you are miserable for some reason doesn't mean-"

Finally Gaara couldn't take it. He appeared behind her and almost grabbed her but she anticipated his movements and defended. She spun and avoided the spiral of sand that threatened to grasp her limbs. Kira moved quickly but Gaara was faster. He hit her to mess up her footwork, and in those few seconds where she was off balance, more sound clouded up and took hold of her tightly, binding her arms and legs together and twisting them. I could see her swallow a sound, but she didn't dare struggle. She knew it would only make it worse. Instead she stared at him with fierce eyes, now colored a bright, scary looking green. She reminded me of an angry trapped cat, spitting and glaring with pupils like little black slits.

There was a pause, and everyone stood for a minute to take in what had just happened. I exchanged a worried look with Temari.

_Surely he will kill her!_

I almost said something to him, but then he spoke.

"I was incredibly foolish to let my guard down for even a short amount of time. I promise you that it will never happen again." His voice showed no emotion, but his face was angry.

Kira said nothing.

"Living in the past won't get you anywhere. You are weak, and still too stupid to realize that I really don't care about you or if you think I'm _mean_."

Kira shook her head. "But I _know_ you Gaara-"

"NO, YOU DON'T!" He was losing it now, his hand flew up and he let his fingers close around her throat. Rarely, no, NEVER had he touched one of his opponents before. This probably wasn't a good sign. There was nothing we could do now to save her now.


End file.
